Defense/Military - 26. page

Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that the Chinese Navy’s second carrier barracks ship is very close to completion and will serve the Navy soon. A carrier barracks ship is generally to support an aircraft carrier as part of the fleet. This type of vessel is an invention of the Chinese Navy. It is typically used to support the long testing phase of a new aircraft carrier, or to transport a large number of citizens home from aboard in an emergency such as a rescue mission. China currently has one barracks ship that accompanies the only aircraft carrier in service. The delivery of this second ship signals the near-completion stage of the second aircraft carrier which is fully made in China. The Chinese barracks ships are designed based on civilian cruise ships. A barracks ship travels with an aircraft carrier that is typically in the testing phase. It provides more comfortable accommodations for non-military staff and offers room for special equipment as well as helicopters.

Source: Sina, January 2, 2018
http://mil.firefox.sina.com/18/0102/10/6EDV9Z7HB35AWG4Q.html

Xinhua announced that the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee published the “CCP Central Committee’s December 27, 2017, Decision on Adjusting the Control System of the Armed Police Forces.” The decision stated that, starting on January 1, 2018, the armed police will be under the sole direction of the Central Military Commission (CMC). It will no longer be under both the CMC and the State Council.

Duowei also reported that the armed police will go through a staff cut from 800,000 down to 400,000.

Sources:

1. Xinhua, December 27, 2017
http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/2017-12/27/c_1122175909.htm
2. Duowei, December 15, 2017
http://news.dwnews.com/china/big5/news/2017-12-15/60029875.html

China.com recently reported that Chinese lawmakers just passed The Regulations of The People’s Liberation Army Civilian Personnel. This new law is considered a major milestone in the now two-year old Military Reform, which started on November 24, 2015, when the Central Military Commission Work Conference for Reform began. The Reform completely restructured the Chinese military with a focus on modernization, efficiency, and scientific optimization of the command structure. The military reorganized the major theaters of operations, established new forces for rockets, strategic missiles, and strategic support, and eliminated over 200 Division level units, over 1000 Group level units, and over 30 percent of the military officers.

Source: China.com, December 18, 2017
http://military.china.com/important/11132797/20171218/31835877.html

Chinese Major General Jin Yinan was a guest at the military forum “National Defense Space” on The Voice of China {a radio station} talking about the recent North Korean intercontinental missile launch and the US-Korea joint military exercises. Jin stated that China’s “double suspension” proposal {suspending nuclear testing and suspending U.S. military exercises} is still the most effective way to solve the North Korean nuclear issue.

Jin said, “The pressure for war is getting more and more intense, but the reasons for a war show it is not as imminent as those who control the situation may believe. … The double suspension is the best way for both parties to cool down first, lowering the temperature first, and then starting to negotiate. A good initiative is not accepted by everyone at once. With the passage of time, it’s more apparent that the “double suspension” that China proposed is the only clear-cut way to solve the issue of the Korean Peninsula peacefully.”

Jin also repeated Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi‘s statement that, ‘China will never allow anyone to fight at the door of China and will never allow anyone to mess up Asia.” He said, “This is not just because of our attitude, but also because of the maintenance of regional security for which we must be responsible, which is backed by our strength. Therefore, this war is by no means an issue of whether we should stand on the sidelines; it is by no means a matter of persuading the other side not to fight. You (think) you can strike according to your wishes. If you start the war I can tell you that we will never just stand by.”

Source: Wenxuecity, December 7, 2017
http://www.wenxuecity.com/news/2017/12/07/6797584.html

Shanghai based news network East Day recently reported that the authoritative Chinese Central Television (CCTV) broadcast a new TV documentary program that revealed the actual number of aircraft carriers China has in its plan. The total count on its road map is six. The first two ski-jump takeoff mid-sized models have been constructed. The next two will be conventional power large size models with catapult take-off capabilities. However, the catapult mechanism is still being considered. It is very likely that it will use an electromagnetic catapult. The last two carriers will be nuclear powered large size models reaching a level above the U.S. Nimitz class with partial Ford class capabilities. In the long-term road map, by around the year 2049, China will build another four world-class carriers thus giving the Chinese Navy up to 10 aircraft carriers. The TV documentary also mentioned that China has tested the electromagnetic catapult technology thousands of times and it has achieved the deployment quality for launching different types of aircraft. The Navy has also placed a large number of orders for the J-20 carrier fighter jets. The J-31 V2 version has been undergoing intense flight tests. The status of the nuclear power system for carriers is still unclear, although China has the mature technology to power nuclear submarines.

Source: East Day, November 20, 2017
http://mini.eastday.com/a/171120213326284.html